The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has released guidance on how federal formula grant programs such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act can support innovative Pre-K-12 STEM education strategies to improve instruction and student outcomes, especially for historically underserved students.

In a Dear Colleague letter to states, school districts, schools, and education partners, the ED outlined examples of allowable uses of federal funds that can support the expansion of STEM experiences to improve student achievement in the 2016-17 school year. The examples include recommendations for both supporting educators and improving access for students in STEM disciplines. Specifically, the examples fall into three categories:

1. Increase students’ equitable access to STEM courses and experiences, including out-of-school programs, STEM-themed schools and career pathways.
2. Support educators’ knowledge and expertise in STEM disciplines through recruitment, preparation, support, and retention strategies.
3. Increase student access to materials and equipment needed to support inquiry-based pedagogy and active learning.

View the Dear Colleague letter on the ED website.

Excerpted from the April 13, 2016 ED press release U.S. Department of Education Issues Guidance for Schools on Leveraging Federal Funding to Support STEM Education

Researchers interested in reading, writing, and language development are invited to participate in a one-session webinar, IES Reading, Writing, and Language Development Grant Writing Overview. The webinar will be held on May 12, 2016, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. (EDT) and is hosted by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) research centers — the National Center for Education Research (NCER) and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER).

This webinar provides a general overview of the Reading and Writing (NCER) and Reading, Writing, and Language Development (NCSER) grant topics and general strategies and suggestions for successful application writing. The grant topics are the Institute’s primary programs aimed at supporting research on improving literacy outcomes for students, including English learners and those with disabilities or who are at risk for disabilities or academic failure.

Registration for this webinar closed on May 5, 2016.

For more information on the Institute’s FY 2017 Requests for Applications, visit the IES website.

If you have any questions about the webinar, please contact Rebecca McGill-Wilkinson in NCER at (202) 245-7613, Kimberley Sprague in NCSER at (202) 245-8464, or Sarah Brasiel in NCSER at (202) 245-6734.

The Office of the Provost and Human Resource Services have launched an updated version of the Faculty Search Tutorial (PVO800) course. The purpose of this course is to provide guidelines and resources for committee members when participating in the search process for new faculty members.

This updated version focuses on practical information that is broken down by processes while providing just-in-time materials in the companion toolkit, including examples of job descriptions, evaluation matrices, and behavior-based interview questions. The resources found in the toolkit are useful for search committee members as well as support staff assisting during the search.

While faculty and staff are encouraged to take the updated version, those having recently completed the course need not retake it—this can be done when it is time to renew your certification.

Questions or concerns? Contact UF Recruitment and Staffing at (352) 392-2477 or employment@ufl.edu.

FY17 proposed fringe rates should be used in all proposal submissions, beginning Friday, April 22, 2016. UFIRST budgeting tools have been updated with the FY17 proposed fringe rates and will automatically calculate the fringe benefit amount needed for each individual included in the budget.

The employee salary groups and corresponding FY17 proposed benefit rates can be found on the UF Office of Research Costing Information website.

The FY17 proposed fringe rates are subject to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services approval.  Once approved FY17 fringe rates will be effective July 1, 2016.

If you have any questions, you may contact DSP at ufproposals@ufl.edu.